Monday, October 31, 2011

{Happy Halloween}
Last week, my husband & I read up on some ideas to dress up as for Halloween since I'm 36 weeks pregnant & can't really fit into too many costumes. Here's what we came up with & wish you all a fun & safe Halloween! :D

On October 6th, My husband and I had our maternity shoot with the lovely Cortnie Dee. We met up in Riverside, CA where my husband & I not only took our engagement photos but we also shot some pictures where we got married over a year ago! I was so excited about this opportunity to get to work with Cortnie again because she has basically been "our photographer" and has followed our lives together in important milestones!

Here are just some of our maternity photos that I have fallen in love with!

{At Fairmount Park where we took our engagement photos in January 2010}

It was so much fun shooting our little family photos especially since we were able to go back to the exact same place where we said our vows a little over a year ago! :) Cortnie Dee did such an amazing job as always & I'm always impressed by her work! :) Thank you again!

I'm now 36 weeks pregnant & we are just counting down the days until our little man is here!

As of last night, my husband and I completely finished the wall where the crib will go in the nursery! This wall took lots of detailed work and I'm so happy to say we are finished!I had this whole idea of what I wanted the nursery to look like when we found out we were going to have a little baby and it is definitely more than what I expected it to look like :)

My husband and I started with stenciling the tree on the wall, then we picked out the paint colors and my husband completed painting the tree in no time! It was then my turn to start cutting out leaves of different fabrics and using wire within them so they could be bendable and more "leaf like." Once I cut out what seemed to be hundreds of leaves, we attached them to the branches using little pieces of command strips. Then, I used a bunting that I created a while back {here's the post where I created it---incl. DIY instructions!} and I hung it from the tree over the crib where little Levi will dream :). I also created a little bird made of fabric to attach to the end of the bunting. I used wire inside of the bird as well so that it would "pop out" & then added a little bow tie to the baby bird. Finally, we hung up the nightlight birdhouse that Grandpa Spence made for Levi! I absolutely love it!! :)

ANNNDDDD NOW.....Here is a preview to our little man's nursery!(The entire nursery layout will also be up soon considering we only have a few more projects left to complete in his room)

Adorable right? :) I'm pretty proud I must say!Now it's time to hang up the curtains, arrange his baby books on the shelf, buy a pillow for the back of the rocking chair, and then we are about set! Only 4 weeks left until we get to see Levi's handsome little face! {Have a beautiful day!}

There is a new piece added to Love Sparkle Pretty & she is ready to be purchased from the shop!{Ahoy Darling} is a nautical inspired hairpiece that is created using:*Ivory magnolia petals*Antique lace*Blue/grey marabou feathers*Scarlett/red hackle feathers*Vintage anchor button made in Italy*& LOTS of love!

Visit Love Sparkle Pretty Etsy Shop to view all of the wonderful details of {Ahoy! Darling} as well as others that are ready to be loved by you!Remember, if you follow my blog, you get $3.00 off of your next order! Just send me a convo on etsy letting me know that you are a follower and I will send you a promo code to use at checkout! Also, if you refer someone else who makes an order, you will receive an extra $2.00 off! In order to claim the referral, just have the one who was referred mention you when they send me their convo on etsy! :)

I will soon be taking a break from all of this crafting very soon starting at the end of November due to our little bundle of joy who should be making his entrance around Thanksgiving time! {What an awesome blessing to be thankful for!}

In the mean time, I am having a little sale for those who follow my blog. All you have to do is follow and you will recieve $3.00 off of your next order! In order to redeem this coupon, go to Love Sparkle Pretty Etsy Shop HERE & send me a convo letting me know that you are now following me. Once you have done that, I will send you a promo code you can use on your next ready to ship order or custom order piece!Hurry while you can though because Thanksgiving time is coming quickly and I don't plan on creating or sending out new pieces until the end of December! :)

Also, I am still in the middle of posting new pieces up on my etsy shop so either check back soon to see new pieces or send me a convo with your custom order ideas and we can create something fabulous! :)

Here are some great fall pieces that are ready to be shipped!

{Autumn}View this piece with all the wonderful details {Autumn} has to offer HERE. She is ready to be shipped and can be purchased from the Love Sparkle Pretty Etsy Shop

{Scarlett}View this piece with all the fun details {Scarlett} has to offer HERE. She is ready to be shipped and can be purchased from the Love Sparkle Pretty Etsy Shop

{FALL for you}View this piece with all the whimsy details {FALL for you} has to offer HERE. She is ready to be shipped and can be purchased from the Love Sparkle Pretty Etsy Shop

{Spooky Love}View this piece with all the lovely details {Spooky Love} has to offer HERE. She is ready to be shipped and can be purchased from the Love Sparkle Pretty Etsy Shop

Thursday, October 27, 2011

It's a beautiful Thursday morning and with a cup of warm chamomile tea by my side and some glorious motivation, I am ready to take on the day and share some news, inspiration, and lovelies!

First, some good news which all happened yesterday! One, my sister in law got married!!! Yaaayyy! Congrats Kristin & Berto (who are currently on thier honeymoon).

& Two, I received my "official" acceptance letter to nursing school!When I recieved the envelope, I was literally shaking while I was opening it! I have been praying really hard lately about what path the Lord has for me when it comes to schooling and since I applied last application process but didn't get in (due to some class units that I received at CBU and not VVC), I was very apprehensive to reading what the outcome was for this application letter. As soon as I saw CONGRATULATIONS I was relieved, excited and yet overwhelmed all at once with tears in my eyes! This must be confirmation from the Lord and I intend on making the most of it all! I start this spring with the 2 pre reqs I must complete (pharmacology :-/ & nursing assessment) before I can actually start "official" nursing school in the fall. I'm excited to be able to give our little family an even better future and although it's gonna be tough, God will find a way and this brings me much peace about it all! :)

{Now for some inspiration & lovelies I stumbled across this morning}

I absolutely love this quote :) I want to make something similar to this to add to my crafting room!

So many ideas & projects can be created with such beautiful colors! :)From Hey Zee Etsy Shop

Ready for a YUMMY recipe to try???{Homemade Salted Caramel Mocha}!!!Doesn't it look DELICIOUS!?! I must try this! :D Perfect to cuddle up on the couch with!from: 52 Kitchen AdventuresGet the recipe here